Climate Jest

It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here!

De: Gary Goodwin

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

The Antarctic ice sheet collapses and threatens shipping. A mysterious fungus infects pipelines and prevents oil transportation. Jack Griffin and his mobile AI in the meantime investigate how big oil mitigates environmental damage. Here they encounter Cass Anderson. This naturalist by day and eco-terrorist at night instructs them in the ways of civil disobedience. With the oncoming collapse of the worldwide carbon-based economy, government and big oil attempt to track down where this anarchy originated.

The novel satirically deals with a number of topical issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and the role of corporations in society.

Jack Griffin prefers working indoors when it comes to saving the environment. When it comes to computer modeling of climate change, his enhanced A.I. system, Frankie, eventually brings together a host of other AI’s that do their best to save humanity. Even though most of us don’t want to be saved that way.
Jack needs to be rescued on a periodic basis. He has one more opportunity to redeem himself. To find this positive environmental report the oil companies are looking for, Jack starts out on a hero’s journey to a region that appears separate from the rest of society. Topia Valley.
Cass Anderson lives in Topia Valley. A naturalist by day, and eco-terrorist by night, she prefers forest bathing with her coywolf, Argos. She tries to salvage what’s left of Jack’s empathy towards nature.
This mis-matched pair of ecologists work locally to save the environment in their diametrically opposed ways.
Bill Bernard represents Big Oil. A Machiavellian loving executive, he draws Jack into the circle of corporate intrigue. Pushed by big oil, Jack goes against his leanings and tries to show how good of a job they are doing. Big oil however is not looking out for Jack’s, or anyone’s best interests.
President Dult glides over the resulting collapse of the carbon-based economy nudged along by various humans and AI systems. Everything is always fine in Dult land.
Frankie is the mobile AI system that becomes more sentient with each passing hour. Its enhanced AI ethical system takes the problems faced by Jack and Cass and implements their solutions to a global scale. This sets in motion the collapse of the carbon economy.
When oil tankers can no longer travel the oceans due navigational interference, and the oil pipelines are jammed with a strange fungus, Jack and Cass are identified as culprits and are pursued by the oil executives and the government.